Hands down, the best part of the Dress for Success Style Tour was meeting new people. From Ms. Garr at Savannah G rocking purple streaks in her hair, to Nancy at Talk of the Town proclaiming herself “the happiest broke person you’ll ever meet”, not one person was in it for money. Everyone I encountered just decided to take a risk and do what they love.

The second best part? Finding new places to shop! Oh sure, I’d been to many of the places before the tour started, but I also discovered some new-to-me shops I’ll be stopping by again…And again, and again. Now, this is all based on my personal taste, but there are a few places I’ll be revisiting regularly:

Soho

I’d actually been to Soho before, years ago when it was filled with frilly Betsey Johnson dresses perfect for the Homecoming dance. No mas! Under the new owner, the vibe and the merchandise are much more sophisticated and to me, infinitely more stylish. If you’re wondering what to get me for Christmas, just go here.

The Mustard Seed

I tend to be wary of consignment shops since they often require digging through a lot of undesirables before finding something good, but Mustard Seed‘s small space has one of the best-edited, most organized, cheerfully chic selections I’ve seen. I definitely spotted Marc Jacobs and DVF, and the organized-by-color clothing racks make it easy for us OCD types to get our shop on.

NVISION

If you’ve read more than two posts, it’s pretty obvious that I love vintage. NVISION has a great selection of just about everything, but you’ll want to head to the basement for a truly life-altering experience–there’s an amazing collection of dresses and coats from the ’20s to the ’80s, many from wealthy estates.  I literally gasped out loud several times while reverently pawing through the racks.

Chicken Lays an Egg

I’ve been following co-owner Jessy’s blog for a while, but didn’t manage to make it to Chicken Lays an Egg until I did the Style Tour. Lord only knows why I waited, but it was worth it: the whole shop is filled with the one-of-a-kind items you have to spend hours digging through flea markets and estate sales to find. All of the reward, none of the work!

Arte Nouvelle

Arte used to be on Michigan Ave. across from dearly departed, dearly mourned Suki (excuse me while I pour out a drink for the fashion homies). The merchandise has a bit of a Dorothy Zbornak vibe–which I actually appreciate–and it’s one of the only places in the city to carry Vivienne Westwood.  They also have an incredible selection of scarves, and still I can’t stop thinking about a gorgeously whoosh-y floor-length skirt I wish I could afford.

Order the guide!

You can see the entire Style Tour here, or order a print copy of the shopping guide for handy reference (they’re 25% off thru Dec. 31st!). All profits from the print guide will be donated to Dress for Success Cincinnati.

In addition, I’ll be at the 4th Street Boutique from noon-2 tomorrow dishing out style advice, picking out some of my favorite items, and generally wreaking havoc, so stop by and say hello if you have a chance!

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DFS donation drop-off

Yesterday, I stopped by the 4th Street Boutique to drop off an extremely generous donation of clothing from Soho Boutique (remember them from the Style Tour?)

Trunk packed and ready to go!

There was some good stuff in the pile–Alice & Olivia blouses, a Shoshanna dress, all kinds of contemporary brands, really. I kind of wanted to keep some of it… I didn’t, but you should stop by the 4th Street Boutique and get it before I do!

Soho recently started a blog (which I’m obviously all for), so check it out at shopsohoboutique.com/blog. Thanks so much, ladies!

Flip through the Style Tour!

Speaking of Style Tour, you can now flip through all of the stops in this handy presentation. The links to the shops’ sites and social media accounts are active, so scroll through and click away!

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For the past week, I’ve been stopping by local boutiques on Style Tour visits, taking photos and chatting it up with the shop owners. I was particularly fond of the dramatic, editorial-worthy necklaces at The Little Mahatma (remember my ongoing obsession with Indian bridal jewelry?) and a long dress made of soft gray wool from The Brush Factory. It’s the stuff my fashion daydreams (hush, you have them too!) are made of.

A selection of colorful bangles at The Little Mahatma.

Earthy, casual jewelry at The Brush Factory

After running around all day last Friday, I took the evening to enjoy Bras with Flair on the Square, an annual breast cancer awareness event produced by Cincy Chic. There were some very creatively decorated brassieres on display!

My favorite was the spaghetti bra. Even when it comes to lingerie, food always wins with me.

Looks from ALK‘s 2011 collection

Monday was my birthday (again?), and I pretended to take the day off by working for six hours instead of the usual 10-12. Take that, inbox!

I also wound up buying an adorable knit skirt–I don’t know why I’m drawn to knit sweater-skirts, but I am–on the visit to Chicken Lays an Egg. For someone trying to curb a shopping habit, Style Tour is the worst. idea. ever.

A new wave/ladylike look; adorable mules from the estate of a former Playboy bunny at Chicken Lays an Egg.

In any case, check out the Style Tour guides from the first stops, and visit the shops listed to donate to Dress for Success!

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I’ve been running around like a crazy(er) person visiting shops for the Style Tour and getting in touch with boutique owners to plan visits. Yesterday, I met with the lovely ladies of the Dress for Success 4th Street Boutique (they are such a fun and dedicated bunch) to chat about ways to bring more people in to shop.

An elegant dress found in the vintage section

Encouragement and empowerment in the basement

During the course of this chat, I learned about the Back Room Sale, which features all manner of designer merchandise (even bigger names than the Tucker blouse I bought a few weeks ago), and I may or may not share the dates of said sale until I have the chance to pick out my favorites. *evil laughter*

Come on, I said I’d be less selfish, not completely unselfish. Ha!

First Stop!

The first stop on the tour was vintage shop Atomic Number Ten, where I had a great time chatting with Katie, the owner, and playing dress-up. While there, I fell hard for this vintage dress–the cape attaches to the buttons on the front, how cute is that? Now imagine it with a full crinoline underneath and pointy heels. YES.

Atomic Number Ten dress, earrings, and clutch

I didn’t buy it (yet) because I have no idea where I’d wear it. Someone please come up with a good reason to buy this dress!

In the meantime, check out the Style Tour page for the first page of the guide:

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As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’ve been trying to think of a way to help Dress for Success Cincinnati, and decided to combine it with something I’d already been thinking about.

I love to shop, but spend way too much time doing it online (where it is darn convenient, I grant you), and not enough supporting local independent boutiques. I realize that all spending in a down economy helps keep people employed, but it’s nice to know where–and to whom–my money is going.

30 boutiques in 30 days!

So, in the spirit of supporting DFS and the local economy I’m working on a project called Style Tour! The goal: hit 30 boutiques in 30 days!

Awareness, donations, and a shopping guide

I’d like to collect clothing, encourage donations, and generate awareness for DFS. I’ll also post about each boutique on the tour–the vibe of the shop, my favorite items in the store, styling tips, and plenty of pictures–and create a mini shopping guide for local boutiques! I’ve had several visitors ask me about the best places to shop, and frankly, it’s been a while since I bought anything locally.

I need your help!

If you’re in the Cincinnati area, I’d appreciate your support–if you have suggestions for shops to visit, want to join me on a tour stop or two, or even just post something on your blog or site, please get in touch!

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